TV Show Review - Swamp Thing (2019 DC Universe) Episodes 1 and 2

I've never been a big fan of Swamp Thing, so when I heard he was the star of a new TV series, I was a little disappointed. But Titans and Doom Patrol were really good, so I decided to give it a chance. 

Swamp Thing is an 10-episode DC Universe series based on characters appearing in DC Comics created by Len Wein and Bernie Wrightson. It is rated TV-MA for language, violence, and gore and is appropriate for older teens and up.

The Good

Casting. Everyone in this (minus the swamp witch) is an excellent casting choice. They fit the characters well, their acting is top notch, and they make you feel for them.

Story. The story is so tight and so strong. It grips you from the first second and doesn't let you go for a minute. Somehow the filmmakers are able to create a relationship between the two main characters so strong and so natural in less than 50 minutes that when the male lead dies (which you knew he was going to since that is the premise of the whole story) you are still shocked and horrified crying "NOOOO!!!!".

Pacing. The story is paced just right. It never drags, but there is plenty of dramatic pausing.

Art Direction. The visuals are gorgeous. I feel like I am in the swamp. Some of the cgi looks a little fake, but there are enough practical effects that the overall look holds up well.

The Bad

Ummm.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

All thirteen original episodes produced.

Overall

Swamp Thing (2019 DC Universe) Episodes 1 and 2 are pure perfection. The casting couldn't be better, the acting is top notch, the visuals are truly creepy, and the story is so tight and strong. I can't believe the filmmakers were able to create a relationship between the two main characters so strong and so natural in less than 50 minutes that when the male lead died (which you knew he was going to since that is the premise of the whole story) you were still shocked and horrified crying "NOOOO!!!!". I can't wait to see the rest of this series. I give this show 5 out of 5 remotes.

      

Movie Review - Aladdin (2019 live action film)

I remember seeing the original Aladdin cartoon in theaters and enjoying it, but not as much as The Little Mermaid and Beauty and the Beast. I was excited to see the live-action remake until I heard Guy Ritchie was the director. He does some awfully strange things, so I wasn't sure how this would turn out.

Aladdin is a 2019 live action fantasy family film. It is rated PG for action and is appropriate for all ages.

The Good

Aladdin. I really enjoyed the Aladdin character. He was very likable and did a lot of cool stunts and amazing dancing.

Story. The story was solid. The filmmakers did a good job filling out backstory and motivation that was lacking from the animated feature.

Dancing. This movie featured quite a bit of great dancing. I just wish there had been more.

Visuals. This movie was visually stunning to look at. Everyone from the art director to photographer to production designers to costume designers did a top-notch job.

The Bad

Jafar. It has been said that a hero is only as good as his villain. Fortunately that isn't true or this movie would have been a disaster. Jafar was not charismatic, whily, menacing, or anything else a great villain needs to be. He was such a pushover.

Singing. The singing was good, but not as good as the animated feature.

Shoehorned Political Message. It's 2019 so the producers felt obligated to shoehorn the current political fad into the movie in a way that felt forced and uninspired. There are a lot of different ways they could have shown Jasmine to be a strong character other than seeking ultimate political power. That actually made her character look weaker, not stronger.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish the singing had been better and the forced political message had been left out.

Overall

Aladdin is a great adaption of a classic animated film and a lot of fun for the whole family. Most of the cast was excellent and the story was solid with good additions filling in backstory and motivation the original lacked. The film was visually beautiful to watch, and the dancing was really impressive. The singing could have been stronger and more on key. The biggest problem was Jafar and what a weak, uninteresting, nonthreat they made him. Fortunately, the Aladdin character was great and carried the movie with his charm, great stunts, and amazing dancing, even if he seemed to overact his awkwardness. I give this film 4.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

Movie Review - The Meg

I read the original novel this film is based on quite a while ago completely unaware Hollywood was developing a movie. When I found out they were I scratched my head wondering how they were going to do it. The book has a lot of story, way too much to include in a 90-minute to 2-hour film.

The Meg is a 2018 live action science fiction action film. It is rated PG-13 for language and violence and is appropriate for teens and up.

The Good

Limited Scope. This film basically takes the first major scene from the novel, spends a third of the movie recreating it, then creates a new two thirds showing the ramifications and a conclusion. It was a very clever move, because the novel had way too much for a single film.

Action. The action was for the most part really well done and really fun to watch.

Pacing. This film was excellently paced. I never got bored, yet I felt thrills at all the right moments from the excitement and horror.

The Bad

All Action, Little Story. While I think it was clever of the filmmakers to focus on the first major action scene and expand on it, the movie didn't feel like a complete movie. It would have been nice to include a little more story content.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish there had been a little more story. There were a lot of characters and relationships that could have been developed more even in the context of the limited scope.

Overall

The Meg is an exciting action/horror flick about a team of scientists battling a terrifying discovery they never expected to make. The novel this film is based on has enough story for three movies, so the filmmakers were clever to take the first major scene, film it accurately for the first third of the film, then create a new ending based on what would naturally follow. The action is very well done and the pacing is just right. The story is a little thin. There are a lot of characters that little is done with. The "twists" are also not as shocking as the filmmakers would like them to be. But overall, this is a really fun film. I give this film 3.5 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.

   

Movie Review - Dark Phoenix

I'm not an X-Men fan, and I didn't really like the first cycle of movies, but I've loved the reboot of X-Men: First Class to the X-Men: Apocalypse, so I was really excited to see how they would interpret The Dark Phoenix Saga.

Dark Phoenix is a 2019 live action science fiction superhero film based on the comic book story The Dark Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont and John Byrne. It is rated PG-13 for language and is appropriate for most ages.

The Good

Theme. This movie revolves around the theme of how humans view mutants and their acceptance of them. It explores what good relations look like and how bad the relationships can get.

Cyclops. Cyclops has always been my favorite X-Men, and in this movie he finally did more than stand around and shoot a couple of beams. He actual had some action and used his powers in a real fight. It was fun to watch.

The Bad

Boring. This movie was really boring. It had a slow pace and nothing really cool or remarkable. It was very bland and mundane. The filmmakers somehow even made traveling into space very blah.

What I Would Like to Have Seen

I wish someone else had written and directed this film. I was shocked someone could turn such an incredible comic book story into such a mediocre disappointment.

Overall

Dark Phoenix is a movie that should be great but is very boring and uninspired. The only highlights are the exploration of the theme of the relationship between humans and mutants and what it looks like at it's best contrasted by what it looks like at it's worst, and Cyclops finally using his powers like he does in the comics. I was very disappointed. It's not a bad movie, just a mediocre one. I give this film 3 out of 5 Boxes of Popcorn.